Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The time is getting close......And my thoughts have gone to how can Reid and I be the best grandparents when our grandchildren travel and live in another state.

1) The first and most important thought was to keep them covered in prayer and scripture. I have already started a scripture and quote book for my grandchildren, filling it with scripture and quotes that will encourage us, our children and our grandchildren. My grandmother kept a book filled with scripture and quotes that I loved going through each time I visited her.2) Send them mail (in the actually mailbox) that will remind them how much they are loved and missed. And to remind them of their Heavenly Father that loves and adores them.3) When the grandchildren visit, Reid and I will create incredible experiences for them. Tea Parties in the Woods, Watching the Stars at night while we snack on special treats, make Straw Houses in the woods, Magic Shows that we create as a family. VIDEO as much as we can!4) Go on trips together, like our favorite St. George Island where we can build sandcastles, look for seashells and ride our bikes together.5) Share our past with them, so they will know their families history. Do you think they will believe their Grandmother road motorcycles when she was younger or that their Grandfather raced porches? So much to share to help them become the person they want to be.... Maybe a fourth generation lumberman.6) Be there for them...... I remember when I would get upset with my Mom and Dad for some silly reason and I would go see my Grandma Moon...... She never took sides.... She just always would snuggle with me and listen to me gripe. After a short time, I would be fine and go back home where my loving Mom and Dad would be waiting for me. I think they always knew I had a special bond with Grandma Moon. I use to always think I was Grandma Moon's favorite grandchild growing up. Now that I am older, I think Grandma Moon made each one of us feel that we were her favorite.7) Have a junk drawer like Grandma Moon had. When I was really young Grandma Moon had a drawer in her kitchen that she would let us ramble through. I could sit there entertained for hours. I have a wonderful story of a little bronze horse that was in the drawer, but that will be saved for later.8) Always have something blooming in the garden for them to pick flowers for me, their mother or to share with others. My love of gardening came from my mother and grandmother. They always have something blooming, but more importantly... they never cared if the kids picked the flowers.9) Try to attend as many of the grandkids functions as we can. Mom and Dad attended most of our kids functions that took them all over the state and sometimes out of state. They have been their kids biggest fans!10) Take advantage of technology. Call them and Facetime with them.11) And Music.... Sing and Dance with them every chance we get. Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with dancing;Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.

I know this is going to be tough on us, but we believe that if we can work on this we will create a great adventure! If you have grandchildren that live far away, share your ideas with us. We want this to be an incredible journey for all of us!